# Humidor not holding humidity at all...



## Toxic Dover (Dec 3, 2014)

Hey everyone! I've got a question that hopefully some of you can assist me with... For Christmas my wife got me a 100 stick desktop humidor (one of the Old World Humidors that you find at CheapHumidors). I seasoned it and put my sticks in it sometime mid January and it seemed to be holding humidity fine using one of the large Bovida packs. A month or two ago I switched over to Heartfelt beads, and over the past few weeks my humidity has been consistently dropping to around 50% and my beads are completely dried out. I'm guessing I'm going to have to go through the seasoning process again, but is there a way to get these desktop humidors to seal better? When I shut the top on mine, there's the air "puff" that indicates a good seal, but I'm kind of at a loss of why the humidity is dropping so sharply... Help me Puffers! 

-Ben


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## gtechva (Mar 9, 2014)

My two small, cheap, wood humidors started dropping. I think it's just the dry weather. I added two water pillows, completely drenched. Once the beads get caught up you should be ok. If not you might need more beads. MHO YMMV


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## Han Solo Cup (Mar 11, 2015)

reseason it again. If you're using the 84% boveda to season, make sure you wait the whole two weeks. Also if you're using only one boveda pack to keep your 100 count humidor at the RH you want, that's probably your problem. They say one 60 gram boveda pack per 25 cigars. 
If you're using seasoning wipes, make sure you wipe it down really well and make sure to do that for at least two days. If you're using the shot glass method, wait at least 2-3 days. Best of luck.


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

Guessing not enough beads. That size humidor will require two Boveda packs (unless your amb humidity is high) and probably twice the amount of beads you're using.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

There are reasons for what is going on here and can simply be something you didn't account for.

Step 1: Buy a quality humidor
Step 2: Buy a quality hygromter
Step 3: Use quality RH media ( Beads or Kitty Litter )
Step 4: Season your wood humidors ...either active or passive
Step 5: Fill your humidor at least 3/4 full


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## aroma (Apr 12, 2010)

Cheap wood humidors don't hold humidity. For some insight into why, see this old thread.

High-end wood humidors, which reliably hold humidity, cost $5 to $10 per stick.

I recommend you do a search for "tupperdor" here, for inexpensive, reliable storage. Or you can keep your wood humidor inside a cooler, with a couple of pounds of kitty litter.


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

aroma said:


> Cheap wood humidors don't hold humidity. For some insight into why, see this old thread.
> 
> High-end wood humidors, which reliably hold humidity, cost $5 to $10 per stick.
> 
> I recommend you do a search for "tupperdor" here, for inexpensive, reliable storage. Or you can keep your wood humidor inside a cooler, with a couple of pounds of kitty litter.


Donno, I have a cheapy I got with a CI 10-stick sampler. Seems to work ok. Most of my stuff is stored in tuppers at 68-69 RH and I use the humi to "dry box" them at 65 shortly prior to smoking.


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## aroma (Apr 12, 2010)

Bizumpy said:


> Donno, I have a cheapy I got with a CI 10-stick sampler. Seems to work ok. Most of my stuff is stored in tuppers at 68-69 RH and I use the humi to "dry box" them at 65 shortly prior to smoking.


How's the ambient humidity in the room where the humidor is stored?
My wood humidors were all great when the room air was at 65%
and they were constantly having new (over-humidified) sticks added. But when the east-coast winter made the ambient humidity plummet, the humidors couldn't keep up.

Then again, you may be one of the lucky ones who's gotten a cheap humidor that actually holds humidity. My record was zero for 3 when I gave up on them. I kept one just for looks. It lives inside one of my coolerdors and just comes out when I have guests.


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

It dropped down to 61-62 RH when it was near-freezing outside here in CA in December. It's a 40-count and I do use the recommended two Bovedas inside whereas with the tuppers (of around the same size) I use one. Put some scotch tape where lid contacts the box but not sure it did much (I can't stand the blue painter's tape so just used clear scotch).

Dunno.


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## aroma (Apr 12, 2010)

Bizumpy said:


> It dropped down to 61-62 RH when it was near-freezing outside here in CA in December. ...


Ambient humidity dropped to 61-62, or your humidor dropped to 61-61?


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

aroma said:


> Ambient humidity dropped to 61-62, or your humidor dropped to 61-61?


In the humi. Ambient was about 40.. higher when it was raining of course. But when it was raining the humi went back up to 65. I think it was the low RH and low temps that knocked it down to low 60.

Lately it's been dry and hot, ambient RH in the 20s and even teens. Humi still holds steady maybe 1% lower than normal.


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## aroma (Apr 12, 2010)

Sounds like you got a good humidor! What brand and model is it? Also, what model hygrometer are you using?


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

aroma said:


> Sounds like you got a good humidor! What brand and model is it? Also, what model hygrometer are you using?


Could just be lucky. It's a 40 count "Yukon" humidor with cherry-esque finish. Got it free with a 10 stick sampler from CI. Have a couple of inexpensive square "Zederkoff" hygrometers. Not calibratable, but I've done the boveda test and they're within 1 percent. The temps however are way off so I use a remote temp gauge.


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